How McLaren defined three days at the Abu Dhabi GP

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How McLaren defined three days at the Abu Dhabi GP

The Yas Marina circuit is an interesting challenge for the teams and drivers. Here’s how McLaren defined three days in the short history of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

November 01 2009
Lewis Hamilton is in brilliant form. He takes pole position by a massive 0.6s and beats Sebastian Vettel into Turn 1 at the start of the race. But his progress soon begins to falter, due to a rear brake problem on his MP4-24. He keeps Vettel at bay until his first pitstop on lap 17 but retires soon afterwards. © AP Photo/Luca Bruno

November 14 2010
To win the four-way world title showdown, Hamilton needs to win and his rivals have to falter. He drags the maximum out of his MP4-25 all weekend: he qualifies second, just 0.031s behind pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel, and he finishes the race second. Vettel is champion. Jenson Button’s third place secures McLaren’s second position in the constructors’ championship. © AP Photo/Luca Bruno

November 13 2011
Hamilton lines up second on the grid, but there’s no stopping him in the race. Pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel retires with a puncture on the opening lap and Hamilton disappears into the distance. He comes home eight seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso. Button is third in the second MP4-26. © AP Photo/Luca Bruno